By Your Side
by RubyPotter
Summary: Joint fic with rrlobsterOn the night that Ross announces his engagement to Emily, an upset Rachel goes off alone and will regret it for the rest of her life. Mainly R&R but some Mondler. Chapter 12 up!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: We don't own anything:P

Rachel stood in the doorway of her room in Monica's apartment, hardly believing her ears at what she'd just heard. Had Ross just said that him and Emily were getting married?

"We know it's a little quick, but Emily and I really feel like it's the right thing for us," Ross was saying to Monica, Chandler, Phoebe, and Joey, all gathered on the couch. He smiled at Emily, standing beside him holding his hand. Then he turned around and saw Rachel, still standing in the doorway, her expression unreadable.

"Rach…did you hear the news?" Ross said. "Emily and I are getting--"

"Married. I heard," Rachel interrupted. She strode out of her room and across the apartment, as everyone stared. She grabbed her coat off the hook, and without a word, went out of the apartment.

"Congratulations!" Chandler said standing up to hug the couple. "Yeah congratulations!" Everybody else said as they followed suit in for a group hug. Ross then went over to Monica. "Is Rachel okay with all this?" Ross whispered to his sister.

"She'll be fine she's just got to let it all sink in," Monica replied.

"Yeah I guess," he said doubtfully.

Rachel then was wondering outside alone in the freezing cold rainstorm in tears.

"Why of all people did he have to propose to Emily so early?" she screamed out. "They only went out for six weeks and he pops the question to her. When Ross and I were together we didn't even have the talk about where our relationship was going! I can't take this anymore, I've got to get a drink."

Ross and Emily had just got back to his apartment from his sisters and they just decided to bask in their joy as a betrothed couple.

"I cant believe how beautiful this ring is." Emily exclaimed as she stared down at the three carat morquise cut ring.

"That ring has been in my family for generations, and every bride that wore it has had a long and happy marriage," Ross said to her.

"Is that so?" Emily said as she came up to him and gave him a warm, longing kiss.

That evening Phoebe entered Monica's apartment complete in her pjs.

"Mon, Rach I'm here!" she called.

Monica came out from her bedroom. "Rachel hasn't been here since Ross announced his engagement to Emily," she said with a voice full of worry.

Phoebe could see that her friend was full of distress by now. "She'll be back for our sleepover though." Phoebe said hopefully.

"Sure it's Rachel." Monica said quietly. The two girls gave each other a reassuring hug, praying for the best.

"Is that all you want miss?" a bartender said.

"Nah, just give me anther drink." Rachel said.

"Ya know a pretty lady like you shouldn't be at a bar," said the bartender.

"Well, my heart was just stumped on by my friend," Rachel said with a sigh.

Two hours and many drinks later, Rachel stumbled out of the bar and into the dark, empty streets. There was barely anyone walking around due to the late hour and the rainstorm. Just then Rachel heard her cellphone ringing. She fumbled around in her coat pocket for it but couldn't find it. Finally she located the phone in her purse.

"H-hello?" she stuttered into the phone.

"Rach? It's Monica, where are you?" said the worried voice on the other end of the phone.

Rachel tried hard to compose her thoughts, but she was having trouble remembering things. Where was she? She didn't even remember. All she could remember was that she was angry, very angry, about Ross' engagement to Emily. She also vaguely knew that she had had too much to drink.

"Rachel?" Monica said again. "Are you all right?"

"I- I'm fine," Rachel managed to say.

"Are you sure, Rach, you sound awful," Monica said.

"Yeah I'm--" All of a sudden a man ran out of an alleyway and jumped on top of Rachel. On the other end of the phone all Monica could hear was screaming.

"Oh my god, Rachel, what's happening, are you okay, what's going on?" Monica cried into the phone in a panic. Rachel didn't reply, and all Monica could hear were muffled sounds of screaming and yelling, before the phone went dead.

"Rachel? Rachel?" Monica yelled into the phone. Standing next to her in the kitchen, Phoebe looked terrified.

"Monica, what's wrong with Rachel? What's going on?" she cried.

"Something's really wrong," Monica said as she turned off the phone. "I was trying to talk to Rachel, who sounded like she was drunk, and then all I heard was her screaming, before the phone went dead." Monica sank into a kitchen chair, tears running down her face.

"It's ok, it's all going to be okay," Phoebe said, trying to stay calm for Monica's sake, although she herself was panicking. She reached for the phone and dialled 911.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: This is a joint fic between me (Megan) and Chloe. Some of you might know us as EmmaGellar and rrlobster on FriendsCafe.

Disclaimer---They'e NOT ours. We really wish they were…but….um…they're not.

Rachel couldn't remember what was going on as she came in and out of consciousness. Nothing was visible to her, all she knew she was laying out where all the vagrant people made homes for themselves to live at. She felt like her whole body was swarming right at her as the bustle of went on ahead with life without her.

"Why haven't they found her yet?" Monica cried out as she paced the apartment. "It shouldn't be taking this long, they're professionals! She could be------," Monica stopped and even more tears ran down her face. She hadn't cried this much in ages.

"They're looking for her, Mon, don't worry, it's all gonna be ok. Rachel's fine, she's tough, she'll be fine…" Phoebe rambled on in an effort to comfort Monica, which didn't work since Monica wasn't really listening.

Suddenly the door burst open and Ross, Emily, Chandler, and Joey ran inside. Phoebe had called them and told them what was going on.

"Have they found her yet?" Ross asked urgently. Phoebe shook her head silently.

"Maybe I should call them." she said, reaching for the receiver.

Rachel slowly opened her eyes as she felt a jarring shock of pain go down to her lower abdomen. All she knew was that she was in a lot of pain. Around her, the world seemed to be going about it's usual business, like any other day. Suddenly it like fire went out to her whole body as she just lay there, and went into a deep slumber, her body as motionless as steel.

"Thanks again, we'll hope to hear from you real soon" Phoebe said, placing the receiver yet again back in its cradle.

"What'd they say Pheebs?" Joey said gravely.

"The police said they've been on the lookout for a matter of hours, but still nothing," Phoebe answered, trying to hold back the tears. Monica wasn't so successful and burst into tears.

Ross went over and let her cy on his shoulder.

Suddenly Emily spoke up. "You know, I think we should let the police take care of this from here on out, they are the best in this sort of business ."

Chandler just looked at her and thought, "What is she thinking, is Emily crazy, our dear friend Rachel is out in this major city alone, something terrible has happened to her and she could even be….dead." He couldn't stomach of even imagining this, and quickly washed the horrible thought away.

"Emily sweetie, if you're tired, why don't you go back to my place?" Ross suggested, putting his arm around his fiance. "I'd like to stay here with the others for a while." Ross didn't really expect Emily to want to go. She obviously would want to stay with him.

"Yeah, I think I will go back," Emily said. Everyone stared at her. She didn't seem to notice.

"OK, bye honey," Ross said to her, giving her a peck on the cheek and a long hug. He was doing this automatically, and inside he was wondering why Emily didn't want to stay. It was Rachel for heaven's sakes…she could be dead and all Emily cared about was herself? Maybe they weren't so perfect for each other as he had thought.

Once Emily had gone, everyone was quiet for a little bit. Ross finally broke the silence.

"This is all my fault," Ross said.

"No, no it isn't," Monica said, coming over to Ross and putting her arm around him. Chandler, Phoebe, and Joey nodded in agreement with Monica.

"Yes it is," Ross said. "She went out alone because she was upset about me and Emily. If it wasn't for our stupid engagement, none of this would have happened. And why was she so upset, anyway?"

"I think she still loves you, Ross," said Joey quietly. It was the first time he'd spoken in a while.

Around eleven in the evening, a man and his wife were walking by, and happened to notice an unconscious body lying in a dark alleyway. In horror they ran over to the alleyway.

"Oh my god, is she dead?" the wife said. Her husband bent down over Rachel.  
"I can feel a pulse," he said in relief. "But I don't think we can get her up."

"I think we need to get an ambulance here." the woman said, holding onto one of Rachel's lifeless hands.

"I'm on it Jade!" the woman's husband said as he pulled out his cell-phone.

Jade turned and spoke. "Don't worry hon, we're going to help you."

Later in the night Ross was having trouble sleeping. He tossed and turned as he tried to sleep.

"_Oh my god………… Rachel no!", _he screamed out in the dream. Soon he heard his sister running into his room. She had come home with Ross, and was trying to get some rest on his couch, while Phoebe, Joey, and Chandler stayed at her apartment in case they heard from the police. Emily had gone back to her hotel where she was still staying, saying that she would come over to Monica's first thing in the morning.

"Ross, honey, are you ok?" she said, coming over to comfort him.

"Rachel…I got to find her, I can't sleep knowing I caused all this on her," Ross said, choking up.

"Sweetie please don't blame yourself for any of this," Monica said, near a whisper.

"I'll try," he said hoarsely.

"Listen, I can't sleep either, how about we go back to my place? Everyone's still there in case we hear something from the police," Monica suggested.

"Just let me get dressed," he said, getting up. Monica nodded and went out of the room.

As Ross opened his dresser, he noticed on top an old picture of Rachel, back when they were together, smiling up at each other. Tears trickled down his face. How could this have happened to Rachel? He just couldn't live with himself if she died. It was all his fault that she was in this situation, no matter what anyone said.

But there was another reason Ross was upset. He wasn't sure that he could live without Rachel. Looking at that old picture had made him even more sure….he still loved her.

A/N (again lol): Well there's chapter 2 for ya…hope you enjoyed it! Please review! Chapter 3 will hopefully be up in not too long, as long as Chloe & I don't get writer's block…


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: If anyone doesn't know already, this is a joint fic between me & rrlobster. Thanks everyone for your kind reviews. Jen, I looked at the story It Only Hurts When I Breathe, and I agree, this story is kinda similar to that one, but I read through it and the plot is pretty different. O, and we tried to add a bit more detail this time around. I don't think we really did a lot though.

Marcus Lazarus..don't worry, we would never kill off Rachel!

All that said, here's chapter 3...enjoy!

Disclaimer: They're not ours.

Rachel vividly tried to remember where she was, and what was going on. She managed to open her eyes slowly, and noticed that she was in a hospital room. Nurses and doctors were scurrying about, but they all seemed to be a big blur.

"Where am I?" she tried murmuring out. She felt like there was a huge weight holding her down, so she couldn't go on. Her throat hurt to breathe out. Then she felt herself slipping back into an unconscious state in her own little world.

Ross slowly awoke as he looked around his surroundings. Monica had moved him to his bedroom after he had fallen asleep at the kitchen table earlier. Ross had finally fallen into a restless sleep after crying for hours about Rachel. He couldn't remember exactly when he had finally fallen asleep. 1 am? 3 am? It was all vague in his mind.

"How are you feeling sweetie?" Monica said, coming in with a tray of scrambled eggs, bacon, and orange juice. Monica, although very upset herself, was trying to stay strong for Ross, who was the only person more upset about what was going on than her.

"Has anybody heard anything yet? Ross whispered weakly.

"No, sorry hon." Monica replied with a sigh. She put the tray down on the bedside table, then sat down on the bed next to Ross and put her hand on his arm.

"This can't be happening!" Ross cried out in outrage, grabbing a paper napkin that sat on the try Monica had brought him, and crumpling it up.

"Shh…sweetie, calm down, breathe." Monica said soothingly, although she wanted to cry out in frustration herself. "I know what you're going through…it's just so hard…"

Rachel slowly opened her eyes. It felt like she was waking up from a deep sleep that had gone on for years. She was still in pain, but felt slightly more aware now. For the first time she tried to logically think about what was happening.

She was in a hospital room…before that there had been a dark alleyway….a man….a bar….and then Rachel remembered with a sudden surge of anger…Emily. Ross and Emily, engaged, even though they hadn't known each other very long.

A nurse came into the room at that moment, breaking into Rachel's thoughts.

"Oh good, you're awake," the nurse said cheerily. "Are you feeling any better?"

Rachel could only nod.

"Can you tell me your name?" the nurse said gently.

Rachel found her voice at last.

"Rachel Green," she said, her voice hoarse.

"OK, Rachel, is there someone we should contact for you? Family? Friends?" the nurse asked.

"ummm….Monica Geller," Rachel whispered, and then told the nurse Monica's number. The burst of energy, her anger toward Emily, all seemed to be fading as quickly as it came. Rachel's eyes closed and she sank into another deep sleep.

Monica had gathered the rest of the gang, plus Emily, to her apartment so they could all wait around to hear news on Rachel.

"It's been two days why hasn't anyone called." Ross said, yet pacing the front room again. "Relax man your wearing a hole in the floor." Chandler said glumly, from where he sat resting his head on the back of the couch. Phoebe sat next to him, looking just as glum. Monica and Joey sat silently at the kitchen table.

Ross gave Chandler a cold stare as he flopped down in a chair next to Monica.

"The police said they'd call if there were any changes," Monica said patiently, trying to calm her brother down.

"I just can't believe any of this is happening," Ross said sadly.

"What do you mean?" Joey asked curiously.

"I always thought by now if Rachel didn't call _that break_ we would've been settling down by now...it's just…" Ross couldn't bear to finish his statement, and buried his head in his hands.

At that moment the phone on the table next to the couch rang. Phoebe quickly went over to answer it. The others looked over at her as she talked on the phone, a mixture of hope and dread on their faces.

"OK, we'll be right there," Phoebe was saying into the phone. She finished the conversation and hung up the phone.

"Who was it?" Monica said immediately. "Was it about Rachel?"

Every time the phone had rung in the past couple of days, all anyone could think about was if it was someone phoning about Rachel. Except Emily, who still made the occasional remark about how everyone should really let the police handle things, and not worry so much.

"Yeah, she's at the hospital," Phoebe said. "They said she's doing well, but they're not really sure what happened yet."

Everyone breathed sighs of relief to hear that Rachel was ok. Ross even looked for a moment like he might cry with the emotion.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Joey spoke up. "Let's get to the hospital!" Everyone got up, grabbed their coats, and started to walk out the door.

"We'd better ask the taxi drivers not to go too fast, otherwise we won't be able to visit Rachel, will we?" Chandler remarked, in a feeble attempt to make a joke. Everyone ignored him.

Rachel opened her eyes and looked around the empty hospital room. She was still slightly in pain, and still felt slightly unaware of what was going on, but she was getting better. She thought about her friends, for the first time since giving out Monica's phone number to the nurse. Rachel had no idea how much time had passed since the incident in the alleyway. A day? Two? However much time it had been, Rachel knew that her friends would be very worried about her. She just wanted to let them know she was all right…

Suddenly, as if in answer to her thoughts, the door slowly opened, and the kind nurse from before ushered in the five people she cared about most…and one person she didn't care about as much.

"Oh my god Rachel, you're awake!" Monica cried, rushing to Rachel's bedside.

"How do you feel?" Phoebe said with concern, taking a seat in one of several chairs near the bed.

"I feel fine, just like I got the wind knocked out of me," Rachel replied weakly. She felt even better now that her friends were with her. Somehow, their presence let Rachel know that everything was going to be ok.

"Should we get the nurse? Joey asked.

"I don't think it's necessary." Rachel said, shaking her head.

"Have you eaten anything?" Chandler asked, looking out the open door over to the food cart that sat in the hallway.

"I really rather a burger from the Burger Joint," Rachel said, her mouth beginning to water.

"We'll go out and get you one." Ross said thankful to get away from the tension of being around Rachel again. Him and Emily exited the room, shutting the door behind them.

There was a moment of silence after they left.

"I can't believe that they're still together!" Rachel cried out suddenly. Tears formed in her eyes again and she seemed nearly hysterical.

"It's ok, Rach, just go back to sleep," Monica consoled, stroking Rachel's hair until she fell back to sleep again.

Once Ross and Emily had exited the hospital and were walking down the street, looking for a place to get the food for Rachel, Ross turned to Emily. He had decided to finally get things out in the open with her.

"Emily, honey we need to talk," Ross said seriously, pulling Emily over to sit on a bench beside the sidewalk.

Emily turned to face Ross, staring at him intently.

Ross took a deep breath. "It's just…it's just not gonna work out," he said.

Emily then looked at him bewildered. "What?"

"Us, I can't be with you if you only care about yourself. Rachel is one of my best friends, but you didn't even seem to be that worried when she could have been dead," Ross said gravely.

"Ross you've got to understand," Emily began.

Ross interrupted her. "No, you have to understand, if I didn't throw this engagement on us so quickly, Rachel wouldn't be in the mess she's in right now."

"So what are you saying?" Emily asked, upset.

"We're gonna have to break it off," Ross said abruptly.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: They're not ours!

Ross was wandering around outside the hospital premises. After he told Emily they should break off the engagement, she had called a cab, and said she was going to pick up her stuff, and leave for the London the next morning. This upset Ross greatly, but he knew he had made the right decision. All Emily had cared about was herself, and didn't even think about Ross's friends, some of the most important people in his life.

As he neared the main entrance of the hospital, he noticed a young couple coming out. A baby, swathed in a bundle, lay in the woman's arms, her husband walking proudly beside her.

"That would've been Rachel and I if things worked out," Ross thought. He sighed sadly to himself, looking back one last time, before entering the hospital.

He sighed sadly to himself as he looked back one last time before entering the hospital with Rachel's food.

"I wonder what's taking Ross and Emily so long," Chandler commented. "They've been gone for like, an hour!"

Rachel frowned at the mention of Emily. She had slept for about half an hour, then awoke, feeling pretty good, and was now sitting propped up on her pillows with her close friends all around her. Except Ross, of course, but Rachel wasn't really sure what she felt about him right now.

"I'm sure they're ok," Phoebe assured Chandler. "I bet they'll be back any second now." As if in answer to Phoebe's words, the door opened and Ross came in…alone.

"I swear I'm psychic!" Phoebe exclaimed, at first not noticing the absence of Emily.

"Hi." Ross said mournfully as he entered the room.

"What's wrong dude?" Chandler asked in a sarcastic tone.

"Emily and I just broke up," Ross replied quietly.

Dead end silence went throughout the room as nobody spoke. Soon, a tall, middle-aged man in bifocals entered the room.

"Oh good, Miss Green, you're up," Dr. Harland said. "How do you feel?"

"Good," Rachel whispered, still shocked over Ross breaking up with Emily.

The doctor checked Rachel's iv, before exiting the room.  
"I'll let you visit with your friends now, and I'll come check on you in another little while," Dr Harland said kindly right before he left. Rachel could only nod.

There was silence for a few moments after the doctor had gone.

"You-you broke up with Emily?" Monica finally asked, staring at Ross, who was still standing near the door.

"Uh-huh," Ross replied. "It wasn't gonna work, I mean, she didn't even care that Rachel could have been--" he broke off his sentence as he realized Rachel was still in the room.

"We'll talk later," Monica said, going over to Ross and patting him on the shoulder.

"Rachel?" Joey asked suddenly. "Um…what did happen to you…that night…after you left?"

Rachel's face tensed up, remembering that horrible night. It was all a blur, she barely remembered details…but she knew exactly what had happened.

"Rach?" Joey asked. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm ok," Rachel replied, finding her voice. "But I--I don't wanna talk about that night. Not yet. I don't want to remember, it was just so awful…" Rachel's face crumpled up and she burst into tears.

"Oh my god, Rachel, I'm so sorry, I didn't--" Joey said in panic. He tried to comfort Rachel, but she just shrugged him away. Joey looked over at the others for help.  
"Rach, it's ok, Joey didn't mean to get you upset," Monica said soothingly, giving Rachel a hug. "Why don't you try to go to sleep again?" she suggested. Rachel lay back down on her pillow obediently, and was soon asleep.

That evening, Rachel, still physically and mentally exhausted, was asleep in her hospital bed. Everyone except Monica and Chandler had gone home to get some sleep. Monica hadn't wanted to leave Rachel, and Chandler had said he'd stay to keep her company.

"I'm glad Rachel's ok," Chandler said, breaking the silence in the room.

"Oh, I am too," Monica said. "Just to think that she could have---" Tears welled up in her eyes as she imagined what could have happened to Rachel if she hadn't been found in time.

"Shh, it's ok, everything's fine, Rachel's fine…" Chandler said consolingly. He wrapped his arm around Monica's shoulders and started stroking her hair. Then he realized what he was doing and quickly withdrew his arm.

"No, it's ok, you don't have to stop…" Monica said quietly, looking at Chandler in an odd way.

"What?" Chandler asked, confused. Monica said nothing for a second, and then she leaned over and kissed Chandler…


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Sorry for the long wait…we've both been very busy with school, and the FriendsCafe Olympics…

Disclaimer--We don't own Friends L

"Wow!" Monica sighed after she and Chandler had shared a long passionate kiss.

"I know it's..." Chandler paused.

"Remarkable!" Monica whispered.

"So what now?" Chandler said after a brief pause.

"I dunno we'll just have to wait and see what happens next," he said quietly.

"Right." Monica said awkwardly.

"Now this won't change anything between us Mon." Chandler said sadly.

"Alright," Monica replied, close to tears.

"Aw, it's going to be okay, I'm here for you now," Chandler said, as he went in for another passionate kiss.

After they had left the hospital, Joey and Phoebe had offered to go back with Ross to his apartment.

"So what should we have for dinner?" Ross asked, scanning his refrigerator sadly.

"How about soup in a can?" Joey asked with a grin. Ross opened up the cupboard, and searched around, finally finding a single can of chicken noodle soup in the back of the cupboard.

"This can't be all I have, I thought I bought at least 2 cartons a couple weeks ago," Ross said, breaking down into tears.

"Hon, we know what this is really about…" Phoebe said quietly.

"It should be me who was in the hospital…not Rachel," Ross whispered.

"It's not your fault, Ross," Phoebe said gently. She placed her hand on Ross' shoulder and guided him over to sit on the couch. Joey followed and sat in the armchair.

"It is my fault, Pheebs," Ross said miserably, resting his head in his hands. "I should never have suggested to Emily that we get married…"

"Well, it was a bit quick," Phoebe said, "but Ross…none of us could have guessed that Rachel would react this way." Ross shrugged.

"Come on man, it's not your fault," Joey said. "And anyway, Rachel's fine now." Phoebe nodded in agreement.

"Ross?" Phoebe ventured. "About Rachel…I think I know what's going on."

"You do?" Ross asked, looking up.

"Yes," Phoebe replied. "You feel so guilty, Ross, because you love her."

Ross' eyes widened.

"No I don't!" he replied automatically. But his words were weak, as if he wasn't sure if he loved Rachel or not.  
"Do I?" Ross asked, more to himself than to Joey or Phoebe. "I don't love her…sure I like her, but just as a friend…I don't love her…do I?" He looked pleadingly over at his friends.

"Ross, everyone knows…you do love Rachel. I can see it in your eyes," Phoebe said.

"I don't love her…"Ross said. Phoebe and Joey just looked at him and he realized the truth.

"I love her," he whispered to himself.

The next morning, Monica was the first to arrive at the hospital. She had arranged with Chandler to arrive a while later, separate from her, for fear the others would be suspicious about them being too close. They had decided not to let the others know about what had happened between them the night before.

When Monica entered the hospital room, she was happy to see that Rachel was sitting up in bed, propped up by a few large pillows, reading a magazine.

"Morning, Rach," Monica said, as she went over to Rachel. Rachel looked up.

"Hey Mon," she replied, setting her magazine down beside her.

"How are you feeling?" Monica asked, sitting down next to the bed.

"Much better," Rachel said. The words she said were happy, but Monica realized that there was still something weird about Rachel…she didn't seem as happy as she was claiming to be.

"Are you allright?" Monica asked, worriedly.

"I'm fine," Rachel replied. "I was just thinking about…." her voice grew quiet, "that night…"

Monica nodded slowly, her face growing serious, waiting for Rachel to continue.

"Mon…"Rachel said slowly, "I think I'm ready to tell you what happened."

"What happened?" Monica whispered, dreading the answer that she knew had to be horrible, otherwise, why would Rachel have waited this long to reveal it?

"I…I…." Rachel took a deep breath, then continued in a voice so quiet that Monica had to strain to hear it.

"I was raped."


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Friends, unfortunately, isn't ours L

A/N--sorry it's taken so long for this chapter…we've been so busy, with school, homework, I'm working on my school play (The Wizard Of Oz, the first performance is a week tomorrow!), and we've both been working on the FriendsCafe Olympics. But anyway, please read and enjoy this chapter, and leave a review ;)

An hour later, the entire gang sat in Rachel's hospital room in shock, because now they all knew what had happened to Rachel. Rachel sat in her bed, tears streaming down her face, as she remembered that awful night.

"Should I get the doctor, Rach?" Monica asked, her voice full of worry, patting her best friend's arm comfortingly.

"No, don't tell them yet," Rachel pleaded. "Later...I don't feel like talking about it any more than I already have."

"Ok, if that's what you want, we'll wait." Monica promised.

The rest of the gang nodded. Ross sat in a chair at the end of Rachel's bed, the most shocked out of anyone. He had thought that he couldn't feel any more guilty before, but now he did. "She was raped," he thought, "It's all my fault, now her life could be ruined forever!" Ross sighed. No matter how many times his friends told him it wasn't his fault, or how many times they told him it was because he loved Rachel, it didn't change anything. He knew that he was all to blame for the whole incident.

While taking a coffee break in the cafeteria, Chandler finally spoke.

"I can't believe Rachel got raped," he said boldly.

"I know...I knew something bad had happened but I never guessed how bad it'd be," Monica said sadly.

"I know Mon, especially when she had a tough time before it," Chandler said in nearly a whisper, his voice starting to crack.

Monica wrapped her arms around Chandler, both to comfort him and seeking comfort for herself.

"It's gonna be ok, right?" she asked, starting to cry a bit.

"Of course it is," Chandler answered, although a bit uncertainly. "Rachel's made it through tough times before, she can make it through this too."

"I hope so," Monica said quietly, before sinking into a deep romantic hug with Chandler.

Taking time alone with his thoughts, Ross just sat and silently cried as he sat on a nearby bench.

"You alright man?" Joey asked with concern, taking a seat beside him.

"I can't deny it anymore to myself Joe, I'm at fault for Rachel's accident!" Ross cried, throwing his hands up in the air.

"You've got to quit obsessing that your at blame." Joey said.

"I am though...…" Ross whispered.

"No, you're not, Ross, you're really not…"

"I've got to go," Ross said suddenly, brushing pass leaving Joey in shock.

"Guys, we have to do something about Ross," Joey said, going over to where Chandler and Monica sat. "He has to stop blaming himself for this."

"I know," Monica replied with a sigh. "But what can we do?"

Phoebe came back to the table with a muffin and coffee as she said this. "I think the only thing that would help Ross is to talk to Rachel about all this," she said. "He just has to get his feelings out in the open...and so does Rachel. If they don't, neither of them is going to recover from this."

"You're right, Chandler agreed. "But getting those two to tell each other how they're feeling? Have you any idea how long that would take? Remember when they first started dating, how long it had been before then that they each struggled with their thoughts about each other?"

"We'll just have to talk to both of them about it," Monica said. "I'll talk to Rachel later...Chandler, can you talk to Ross?"

"Sure," Chandler replied ."I'll go find him right now before he does anything drastic."

"There you are man." Chandler said, as he spotted Ross looking in at the babies in the nursery.

"What are you doing here Chandler?" Ross said miserably.

"I'm here to have a talk with you, I hate seeing you so down all the time." Chandler answered as he put an arm around his friend.

"I'm fine." Ross said, quite unconvincingly.

"Dude I've known you for a long time, and I have never seen you any happier whenever you and Rachel were together," Chandler said, a pleading look in his eyes.

"Chandler you've just got to let it go, I've ruined our chances by dating Emily to get over her when I knew Rach didn't like her."

"Just give yourself more time…and let me know if I can help," Chandler said as he walked off. With glancing back at the babies, Ross got the feeling that somewhere down the line, him and Rachel were meant to be together again, but he also knew that it was too late. He sighed sadly.

"Rachel, do you have a minute?" Monica asked, poking her head in the room, seeing her friend watching TV.

"Sure Mon, there's nothing good on anyway," Rachel said, turning off the TV and motioning Monica to take a seat.

"Alright, Rach I'm just going to come out and ask you." Monica paused. "Do you still have feelings for my brother?"

Rachel was shocked that the subject was coming up again. "I don't know."

Monica then came over to her and gave her a quick hug. "Think about it," she said, before exiting the room. Once Monica was gone, Rachel sighed to herself. She knew somewhere deep inside that Ross was the one for her, but she'd never admit it for fear of messing things up again,.

"What happened?" Phoebe said, as she and Joey met back up with them in the cafeteria.

"They're both still too stubborn to see that they are meant to be together," Chandler said in frustration.

"Why are they doing this?" Joey asked.

"It leaves us all to be in the middle of it." Monica said sadly.

"Well, here's an idea… how about we come up with some sort of a plan to get them back together," Phoebe said with a genuine smile. They all leaned in, and Phoebe whispered her plan to the others.

"I dunno Pheebs…it might work," Chandler said doubtfully.

"There's no harm in trying, though," Monica pointed out. Everyone agreed, and they all raised their juice glasses in a toast for luck.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: As always, they're not ours. Sigh.

a/n…sorry for the long wait, we both got busy, you know how insane teachers get this time of year in terms of killing students with homework. Anyway…Happy New Year, and enjoy!

All evening Rachel couldn't get the words that Monica asked her out of her head. "Do you still have feelings for Ross?" The truth was now that she thought about it, she did still love Ross. Though their chances now were all in the past since the mistake had already been made.

As they met up in the commons area of the hospital, Monica was ready to go with a notebook, map, and headsets for everybody. "I know this isn't the best time to ask this, but what's with the detective kit?" Chandler asked, trying to make a joke. "We've all got to listen in on both Ross and Rachel to set the mood." Monica said. "How is this going to work?" Joey said as he attempted to jam a headset backwards on to his head.

"We're going to try to get them to talk about there unresolved feelings to each of us." Monica said, fixing Joey's headset for him.

"Joey and I will go talk with Ross, and you and Pheebs talk to Rach." Chandler said as they went there separate ways.

The next morning, Joey, Monica, Chandler, and Phoebe all met up in Monica's apartment. Their plan the night before hadn't gotten too far- Ross had been too tired and depressed to talk any more about his feelings for Rachel. And Rachel had been distracted by the news that she might be able to go home the next afternoon.

"So did anyone learn _any_ new information about this?" Phoebe asked in frustration.

"Nothing much besides that, if something doesn't happen soon, I don't know what Ross will do," Joey said. The others nodded sadly in agreement.

"Well, there's no point in sitting around," Chandler pointed out. "I guess we'd better get to Rachel…someone should swing by Ross' place first, though."

"Yeah," Monica agreed. "Joey, can you do that?"

"Sure", Joey replied. He headed out the door. Phoebe followed behind him, then stopped.

"Wait, aren't you guys coming?" she asked Chandler and Monica, who were still sitting at the kitchen table."

"We'll meet you there, we just have to…discuss something." Monica quickly said, wanting to get rid of Phoebe.

"OK," Phoebe said with a shrug, a bit confused.

Once she was gone, Monica turned to Chandler.

"We really do need to discuss something, you know," she said.

"Oh no, is this the talk about where our relationship is going?" Chandler asked with a groan. "I hate those talks, they always end up ending my relationship."

"No, not about that," Monica said, rolling her eyes. "Although you can't avoid that talk forever. What I meant was…when are we going to tell the others about our relationship?"

"Oh yeah…we should probably tell them," Chandler said. "I hate always having to meet in secret."

"OK, so…should we tell them today?" Monica asked.  
"What about Rachel?" Chandler asked.

"She's been doing so much better, and she's probably coming home today. It won't hurt her, it'll probably make her happy, which is what we want," Monica reassured him.

"What about Ross?" Chandler asked. "This could really upset him."

"Yeah…but maybe it would be ok, that way he would be distracted from this whole Rachel thing." Monica said.

"Good point…so should we tell them today?" Chandler asked.

"I guess so," Monica said. Her and Chandler looked at each other, smiling, before embracing in a long and passionate kiss.

Later on, everyone gathered at the hospital. Everyone was in a good mood, even Ross- the doctors had said that Rachel could definitely go home that evening if everything went well. Ross was still not himself, of course, but now that Rachel was in a much better condition, his guilt was dissipating slightly.

Monica cleared her throat. Everyone looked up from where they were sitting around Rachel's bed.

"Chandler and I have something we'd like to tell everyone," Monica began nervously. She looked over to Chandler for help.

"For the past little while…Monica and I have been…having a….relationship," Chandler said slowly. He reached over to hold Monica's hand while they waited for the others' reaction.

"You're kidding, right?" Joey asked in disbelief. Everyone else seemed just as shocked…Ross was staring blankly ahead, clearly in a state of extreme shock.

"No, we're not kidding," Monica said. "We thought we'd better let you all know what's been going on."

"I don't believe it…I won't believe it," Ross said suddenly, before getting up and marching out the door of the room.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N- Well, hopefully this update is coming a little quicker than the others …this might be a bit shorter than usual though. The next update might take a little while because one of us (me …) is about to do exams next week. ….anyway…we hope you enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer- How many times? THEY'RE NOT OURS. K?

"Ross wait!" Monica pleaded as she hurried off to catch up with him.

"No this is just isn't going to happen!" Ross said as he brushed past them and slammed the door.

"Wow." Chandler said placing a hand on her shoulder. Monica just looked back at the door hopelessly before bursting into tears.

"Hey, Mon everything's going to be okay." Chandler said soothingly.

"No it's not he hates me now and without you I'll have nobody to turn to." Monica said sadly as they shared a warm longing embrace.

"Just try to think that maybe Ross will come around for us." Chandler said as he led her back down the hall to Rachel's room.

Back in Rachel's room Phoebe and Joey were discussing Monica and Chandler while Rachel was taking a short nap.

"I think it's great that they got together they seemed carry a vibe on each other for awhile now." Phoebe said with a smile.

"Is he here?" Chandler said quietly entering before Monica. "No he's not." Phoebe said. "Are you guys okay?" Joey said concerned.

"I can't believe he veto-ed our relationship", Monica said, frustrated.

"Mon try to calm down everything's going to work out I'm going to try and talk to Ross about us later." Chandler said giving Monica's hand a squeeze.

Later that evening as the gang was having dinner with Rachel as the doctor entered

"Am I interrupting?" He said poking his head into the room..

"No, Dr. Harland we were just talking." Chandler said getting up to shake his hand.

"Well as I look at Miss. Green's chart everything seems to alright though she'll still have to take it easy for a couple of days and be supervised," the doctor said.

"We share an apartment so I'll be watching over her." Monica said as the doctor handed over a bunch of forms for her to fill-out.

"Now Miss. Green I'm going to just do a small vial test then you'll be good to go this afternoon." Dr. Harland said heading out.

"I'm going to talk to Ross now before we leave today." Chandler said whispering to Monica. "Good idea!" Monica said as she spotted Ross leaving the room. "Take care of Rachel and don't worry yourself." Chandler said kissing her hand.

"Dude we need to talk." Chandler said as he and Ross sat in the cafeteria with coffees.

"I have nothing to say to you!" Ross said angrily.

"Maybe you don't but I do." Chandler said taking a stand.

"What?"

"Remember how you felt when you had your relationship with Rachel."

"Yeah." Ross said distantly.

"That what it is for Monica and I." Chandler said happily.

"Really." Ross said not convinced.

"Just to let you know I'll never do anything to hurt your little sister." Chandler said walking off.

Ross just sat there and thought about it before going to wrap an arm around his pal. "One thing I will hunt you down an kick your ass if you do." Ross said grinning as they walked off together.

That afternoon, everyone was happy. Monica and Chandler were happy, in love, and content with everyone finally knowing about their relationship. Rachel was happy because she finally got to go home, and Ross was happy because Rachel was happy. His guilt, although it would never be completely gone, was reduced a lot when he could see that Rachel was fine. And Phoebe…well, Phoebe decided to take advantage of the happy situation and…

"_Rachel's going home, but she's not going to Rome,_

_She's not going to Salome, but she's going home!_

_Cuz it's a happy, happy, happy day, yay!" _Phoebe cried out as she strummed her guitar.

"Uhh…Pheebs…the doctors in that nurses station across the hall are glaring at you," Joey whispered. Phoebe shrugged and continued with another three verses that sounded like a mishmash of random phrases, but if you listened really carefully, had to do with Rachel's going home.

"oooh, it's so good to be home!" Rachel said a little while later, as Monica helped her through the door of her apartment.

"It's good to have you back here," Monica said. Her and Rachel shared a hug.

"Now, you're just going to relax, ok?" Monica said to Rachel. She tried to lead her over to the couch.

"No, I don't need to," Rachel said. "Seriously. I'm fine."

"No, Rach, the doctor said you have to take it easy," Monica said firmly.

"Allright, fine," Rachel said, and went to sit down. Monica went and got a pillow and blanket and brought it to her.

Just then, the phone rang. Phoebe answered.

"Hello, Mon & Rach's place," she said cheerfully into the phone.

"Oh, hi, Dr. Harland," she said. The others all looked over at her.

"Uh huh…" Phoebe was saying into the phone. "Okay….you saw what? Oh my god…ok…yeah I will…ok bye, thanks for calling." She hung up the phone.

"What is it?" Chandler was the one to voice what everyone was thinking.

Phoebe paused, obviously not wanting to say what it was. Finally she did.

"Rachel's pregnant."


	9. Chapter 9

A/N….Chloe and I are so sorry for the long delay in this update. Its just that we've both been really busy, and had so many things going on that we couldn't find time to work on this. But please keep reading this story, no matter how long it takes us to update, because we will never just abandon this story without telling our readers. Anyway…hope you enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: Friends isn't ours, unfortunately.

There was a long silence.

"I'm _what?_" Rachel finally choked out. She looked like she was about to faint and sank back into the couch cushions in shock.

"There has to be some mistake," Chandler said. "Why didn't they say anything before?"

"Dr Harland said that the papers somehow got overlooked," Phoebe said. "But Rachel's definitely pregnant…"

"Oh my god, I can't believe this, how could this happen to me!" Rachel cried out. Tears began rolling down her face.

"Rach, its gonna be ok," Monica promised her.

"Yeah, we'll all be here for you," Ross added. All the gang gathered around Rachel and shared a big group hug.

"I really appreciate this you guys." Rachel said, sniffling.

"Don't worry about it, Rach anything you need we'll be there." Chandler said reassuringly.

"How about I fix us all some homemade stew for lunch" Monica said, glaring at Joey in the kitchen, who was stuffing himself with hospital food that he had somehow managed to sneak out of the hospital.

"What?" Joey asked, as everyone stared at him.

"Where did you even get all that food?" Chandler asked.

"Stole it off a cart when a nurse wasn't looking," Joey said, looking very proud of himself.

"Well, I'm going to make some stew," Monica said. "Is that ok for you, Rach?"

"I'm not really hungry Mon, but thanks…I think I'm going to just go lie down for a little while," Rachel replied. She got up off the couch and went into her room, shutting the door behind herself.

"Oh my god," Phoebe said in a hushed voice as soon as Rachel was gone.

"I know!" Monica said. "I can't believe that Rachel's pregnant!" She looked like she was about to cry.  
"But she'll be ok, we'll all help her through this," Chandler said, putting his arm around Monica. She sighed and sank into his arms. Then everyone just sat there in silence for a little while, all thinking about what had happened. Everyone was in shock about what had happened, especially Ross. But this time, Ross had a plan. And if it worked, he would have everything he'd ever dreamed of for his whole life…

Later that evening, Chandler had asked Monica out to dinner at a Italian restaurant.

"It's nice just the two of us." Monica said looking out at the stars through the window.

"Yeah," Chandler agreed, admiring the unusually bright night sky. The two shared a quiet moment together.

"Monica…", Chandler said, breaking the silence, "Part of the reason I wanted to take you out to dinner tonight was….to ask you… if you'd like to live together." He waited anxiously.

"Chandler! Yes, I'd love to!" Monica cried with happiness and surprise.

"Really?" Chandler asked, with an even bigger smile than Monica's.

"Yeah," Monica said, getting up and going over to Chandler's side of the table, where they began to embrace in a warm hug.

"But wait…what about Rachel?" Monica said nervously, breaking away from the hug.

"Mon I'm sure she'll understand…we can wait a bit to tell her and everyone else until Rachel's had time for all of this to sink in a bit." Chandler said. grasping her hands.

"OK, I guess you're right," Monica said. She gazed into Chandler's eyes before they shared a long and passionate kiss.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N-- I hope we still have readers, its been so long since we updated….we're so, so sorry….I've been crazy busy lately, but I guess that's what being a senior in high school really does to you…

Disclaimer- Only in our dreams do we own Friends!

Later that evening, Ross sat alone in his apartment, on his leather couch. His curtains were open and he gazed out into the starry New York sky, brighter than he had seen it in a while. He hoped this was a sign that he'd be able to work things out with Rachel, someday…his mind drifted off as he remembered a time not so very long ago, yet it seemed like forever.

_Rachel: You were worth the wait, and I don't just mean tonight.   
Ross: You're not laughing.  
Rachel: This time it's not so funny_

Ross sighed. There was no use dwelling on the past…he had to deal with the present situation that was going on right now. Sure, it wasn't ideal…Rachel had gone through the terrible trauma of being raped, and then had found out that she was pregnant, pregnant with some man's baby she didn't even know. Ross couldn't even imagine the pain and anguish she had gone through and was still going through. All he knew was that he loved Rachel…he had finally admitted this to himself, finally given in to the feelings that for months had been fighting to break through. He finally realized that he had never stopped loving Rachel, not for a minute since he first laid eyes on her, way back those many moons ago in high school.

It was late. In Monica and Rachel's apartment, all was dark and quiet. Monica was asleep in her room with a certain special visitor. Rachel was in bed as well, but she wasn't asleep. She lay awake, staring up at the ceiling, thinking about everything that had happened to her lately.

She'd always thought that when she got pregnant, it would be with a man she loved. A man who she'd probably been married to for at least a year beforehand. Someone who she cared for deeply and wanted to raise a child with.

Instead, what was she left with? She was destined to be a single mother, not married, the father of her child unknown, but still known what kind of a person he was.

Unless…Rachel couldn't shake off a certain thought. She imagined this child being born, and somehow raising it together with someone she really cared for, just like she'd always dreamed of. Someone like…Ross. She swore to herself after their breakup that she couldn't be with him anymore, that he wasn't right for her. But deep in her heart she knew that wasn't right…her and Ross were meant to be together…she had never stopped loving him.

The next morning, Ross sat on the couch in Central Perk with a coffee, reading through some essays he had to mark. He was the only person there, since it was so early, but he hadn't felt like staying cooped up at home marking the essays.

Just then, Ross heard the door open. He looked up and saw Rachel in the doorway.

"Rachel?" he asked, surprised to see her there that early.

"Ross! Hi!", Rachel said. "I went to your apartment but you weren't there…I really need to talk to you."

"Yeah, there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about too," Ross said. He put down his essays, and Rachel sat next to him on the couch.

"You go first," they each said at the same time. Rachel laughed, for the first time in days.

"No seriously, you can go first," she said to Ross.

"OK," Ross said. He hesitated before continuing. "Rach…I…I think….I think I still love you." He waited tensely to see how Rachel would react- would she think it was inappropriate, after what she'd gone through.

But Rachel didn't say anything. It was silent for a moment, Ross and Rachel both looking into each other's eyes, each wondering what to say, before Rachel finally leaned forward and kissed Ross.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: **Sorry once again for the long wait for an update. There will be one or two more chapters and an epilogue after this chapter… and they will hopefully be posted more quickly, since both of us are off school for the summer now.

**Disclaimer**: None of this is ours, sadly…

**Chapter 11**

"Oh." Rachel said after she shared a romantic kiss with Ross they've both been longing for.

"I know." Ross whispered as he enveloped her in a romantic hug.

"This is nice." Rachel said happily as she laid her head back against Ross's chest, listening to her lover's heartbeat.

"We sure have had a lot of memories here." Rachel said as if it was just yesterday...

_Rach: (Ross enters) Hi._

_Ross: I didn't get a cat_

_Rachel: That's...um interesting_

_Ross: No...that's totally the unopposite of interesting_

_Rachel: Ok, I got it Ross_

_Ross: You had no right to tell me you ever had feelings for me. _

_Rachel: What?_

_Ross: I was doing great with Julie before I found out about you_

_Rachel: hey, I was doing great before I found out about you, ya think it's easy for me to see you with Julie _

_Ross: The thing is I don't need this right now...this ship has sailed_

_Rachel: Alright you go and do that Ross...because I don't need your stupid ship._

_Ross: (mad) Fine!_

_(Rachel is silently crying as Ross comes back and they share a passionate kiss)_

"I'm sorry, for everything." Ross said, as he squeezed her hand reassuringly.

"Oh its okay, we've both been stupid in the past," Rachel replied. They both started laughing as if it were like old times.

"What do you say I take you out to dinner tonight?" Ross said sheepishly.

"I'd like that." Rachel said, feeling truly happy, happier than she'd felt for the longest time.

Later that night, Ross and Rachel sat in a beautiful new restaurant downtown. Neither really noticed their surroundings, however, all they really cared about was that it was the two of them together, finally.

"Rachel...about this whole thing with the baby, and everything..." Ross began. Rachel looked up at him.

"You don't have to worry anymore, I'm here for you," Ross continued. "I know this may seem a little forward, and sudden, but I really think it's right, for us...you're the most beautiful and amazing woman I've ever known, and I know you're going through a very difficult time in your life, and all I want to do is put my all into making everything all right for you again." At this, Ross got down on one knee. Rachel's eyes immediately filled with tears as she knew what was coming.

"Rachel Karen Green...will you marry me?"


	12. Chapter 12

A/N Here's chapter 12, hope you all enjoy it!

**Disclaimer- **not ours …

"Yes, Ross I'll marry you!" Rachel said, as Ross slipped the ring on her finger and swept her up off her feet with joy.

"Honey, remember the baby. Rachel said with a chuckle.

"Oh right." Ross said, sheepishly. He put her down gently as they held each other tightly. "When do you think we should tell the guys? Ross said, brushing his fingertips against her skin.

"Let's wait till tomorrow."

Ross just smiled. "Yeah, we better or Monica will start planning the wedding tonight." he joked. Rachel smiled.

"How about we go back to my place after dinner?" Ross suggested. Rachel agreed, and the two sat and gazed into each other's eyes, barely noticing their surroundings at the restaurant.

The next morning as Monica and Chandler were having brunch alone Monica decided that this would be a good time for them to talk about their relationship.

"Honey, we need to talk," Monica began.

"Did I do something wrong?" Chandler asked nervously.

"No, I just think we need to discuss where we are," Monica assured him.

"Ok." Chandler said, still nervous.

"I need to know, do you really love me." Monica whispered out.

Chandler just sat there for awhile thinking to himself "_Oh no, she thinks I'll end up like Joey sleeping with her and never call her back." _He put his face in his hands.

"Well..." Monica said, getting scared.

"Mon, sweetie I was really happy when we first got together an there is no doubt in my mind we'll have a future together…I love you." Chandler said, giving her shoulder a squeeze.

"I love you too" Monica said, as she went over to him as they held each other for the longest time.

"Hey Pheebs, want some sandwich?" Joey asked, as Phoebe entered his apartment. "What is in that?" Phoebe said, noticing all the variety of meats inside the sandwich. "Hmm; turkey, ham, roast beef…."

"Stop!" Phoebe blurted out, scared for the innocent animals.

"Calm down Pheebs I won't eat it while you're here" Joey said putting his sandwich away. "Sorry Joe." "It's ok Pheebs." Joey said, giving her hand a squeeze. Phoebe just smiled. There was a moment of silence then all of a sudden the two friends went in for a short kiss followed by another surprised silence.

"Well we've never done that before," Joey commented, before they both started laughing and kissing again.

That afternoon Ross had gathered everybody back at his apartment so he and Rachel could tell the gang there good news.

"Now Ross hurry up with your news you made me miss an episode of Baywatch." Chandler said, disappointed.

"You want to be sleeping on the sofa tonight." Monica said, glaring at him.

"Sorry Mon." Chandler said quickly.

"Well..." Ross paused as he took Rachel's hand.

"We're engaged!" Rachel screamed as everyone came to congratulate the reunited lobsters. "Oh god." Rachel moaned out as she felt a puddle surround her.

"Sweetheart your water broke." Ross said, excitedly as he held her close to him. "I'll call a taxi for you guys and let Dr. Harland know you're on your way." Monica said, picking up the phone as the guys helped Ross and Rachel pack for the hospital.

"Everything is going to be alright." Ross soothed to Rachel as he helped her into the taxi. "Ok." Rachel whispered out.

"We're gonna be parents." Ross said, rubbing Rachel's belly softly as they headed for the hospital. And even though the baby wasn't really Ross', and even though it wasn't born yet, Rachel knew that Ross would love this baby as his own and never think otherwise.


End file.
